So let’s just say a brand new hit song has just come out. You listen, you hear it, you love it. It’s popular, it’s funky and it’s definitely your vibe. You hop into your car, and what do you know? It’s playing on the radio, so you sing your heart out throughout the whole journey on your way to town. Then you pop into Tesco really quickly. Surprise. It’s playing while you’re shopping there too. So you nod along as you push your trolley.
Once you get back home, your neighbour’s gardener waves at you while mowing the lawn, with his radio beside him playing the song again. Lovely stuff. Then you pop inside to put your shopping away in your fridge, and think you’ll give TikTok a quick scroll. The first video on your feed plays that same song in the background. You scroll to the next video. The song plays on that one too. And then the next one. It’s playing on that video as well.
And now, suddenly, the song won’t stop playing at all. It just keeps on going and going and it slowly turns into a nightmare. You start looking around and all you can hear is that song. Your mum rings you up and the minute you try to say hello, you just hear her singing that song back to you. Then you hear the door knock and it’s your elderly neighbour bringing over some muffins, except she’s not talking, she’s singing the song as she tries to hand them over to you. So you slam the door. You switch on the TV and even the weather presenter is singing the song instead of reading the forecast. So you switch it off. But nothing works. The song only gets louder, and louder and louder as the room spins around, while you scream up in the air with your arms on your head, because you just can’t take it anymore.
That’s how it feels when there’s a trending song on TikTok playing way too many times. Okay, maybe just a little less dramatic, but the truth remains. TikTok is all fun and games until you catch an earworm that’s even playing in your dreams. It’s an app that’s been responsible for many hit songs and their skyrocketing growth in popularity. Even a bit too much sometimes.
RIP to Running up that Hill by Kate Bush, About Damn Time by Lizzo, and just about anything written by Doja Cat. All these bangers were among many that were taken too soon, after their slow and agonising deaths of being overused on TikTok. Let’s just take one minute of silence for the troops.
Okay, minute’s over. So why have I bought this up? Because it’s raised an interesting question about the role of TikTok in the music industry and the control that it’s gained over it. How much impact does TikTok really have? Several points come to my mind that make me think: hell yeah, a big impact.
It’s fair to argue that music nowadays is no longer serving the purpose it used to serve for most people. Its purpose was to be an art form that provides creative expression, along with a sense of relatability and fun. Many have noticed how musicians now focus on catering their work for the needs of TikTok and its users. It’s like they have two choices – should I keep my rhythm sounding like something that provokes emotional reactions, or tweak it to fit with the standards of TikTok and make it appear worthy enough to be played in the background of a TikTok dance or trend?
Music doesn’t feel like it’s being created to be felt anymore, but just as a background filler noise while someone films themselves doing their makeup or their gym routine. The attention to detail and appreciation doesn’t seem to be the same anymore, especially as new musicians are no longer serving genuine fans but TikTok algorithms for engagement. Life has already become very fast-paced in every sense, as we no longer sit down to breathe in the fresh air, touch the grass and feel the rhythm of new music. And now, the popularity of a song lasts a week if you’re lucky, until we move onto the next trendy tune. All of this is based on algorithms, which gives TikTok the power to decide whose music gets recognition – therefore missing out on a lot of good tunes, because you’re repetitively listening to the same mainstream ones that you’ve started reciting in your sleep.
So to answer the question: yes, TikTok is having a huge influence in the music industry. So let’s bring creative expression and the art of music back. Come on, you know you want to.
0 Comments